


Winter Wonderland

by brionypoisoned



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alcohol, Angry Tim Stoker (The Magnus Archives), Bittersweet, Christmas Shopping, Gen, Pining Martin Blackwood, Some Humor, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:00:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28290537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brionypoisoned/pseuds/brionypoisoned
Summary: Set in Season 3 when everyone is at each other's throats. Martin drags Tim to the Hyde Parke Winter Wonderland Christmas Market for some Christmas shopping, despite the fact that they've all just learned that they're working for an evil eldritch being and their boss is pretty much holding them hostage. He's doing his best.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood & Tim Stoker, Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Kudos: 23





	Winter Wonderland

**Author's Note:**

> Look I don't know what it is about season 3 of the Magnus Archives that makes me think, "CHRISTMAS FIC" but hey, sometimes Christmas is just going to be tense and miserable and that's FINE. Happy holidays!

Martin stood, hunched over a bit with cold even in his overcoat, in front of the tube station at Hyde Park Corner. It was raining, of course, but not properly, just enough for thousands of tiny droplets to form on the wool of his coat. He let them accumulate, they'd just soak his mittens if he tried to brush them off, anyway. Hopefully the poor weather would drive away the crowds and the Christmas Market wouldn't be too packed. 

Finally Tim emerged from the subway, looking as un-festive as it was possible to look while wearing a green plaid scarf and well fitted gray peacoat.

"I cannot believe you're doing this, Martin." Tim grumbled, in lieu of greeting.

"Thanks for coming!" Martin said, trying not too sound too pathetically grateful.

Tim and Martin had gone to the Christmas Market at Hyde Park every year since Martin had begun work for the Magnus Institute. Tim had found out, in that way that Tim seemed to find everything out, that Martin was going to be alone on Christmas. So he'd invited him the weekend before the holiday to go on a last minute gift run. 

Sipping a hot glühwein in front of a gigantic tree all decked out in lights, while crowds of families all bustled around him doing their shopping, Martin felt something like the warmth he used to feel as a child around this time of year. He'd bought a trinket for every person who worked in the library, as well as reception and custodial, nearly emptying his already precarious bank account. Over the years Martin had learned to rein his spending in, but he still looked forward to his and Tim's trek to the market every December. Most of the time Sasha came with them as well, but he wasn't going to let himself think about that.

Tim's jaw was set. He looked incongruously grim surrounded by the lights and cheer of the market. The fact that he was there at all, after the year they'd had, was enough of a fucking Christmas miracle for Martin.

"Seems a little bit hypocritical, doesn't it? To go to a Christian festival? Considering, you know, our _whole thing_?" Tim asked, shivering.

"As if either of us have ever put the Christ in Christmas." Martin deadpanned.

"Interesting point." Basira, dressed in full hijab, joined the conversation. Her approach had gone unnoticed by Martin, and he made a little jump at her interjection.

"O-oh! Oh hullo Basira. I-I didn't know you were joining us?" 

"Tim invited Melanie but she told him to fuck off. I overheard, so I invited myself." Basira said with a shrug. "I like to do things." 

"Yeah Martin, Basira likes to do things." Tim said. "You should be more welcoming."

Martin bristled. As if HE were the unwelcoming one! 

Martin began to explain himself. "I-fine! Hello! Yes. I just thought... things have been tough this year..."

"Understatement." Tim interrupted.

"...and I just thought we could all benefit from a little holiday... distraction." 

"I think it's a nice idea." Basira said. To be honest, to her it felt a bit a like throwing a secret Santa gift exchange on the Titanic, but she admired Martin's optimism. 

"Lets get this over with." Tim said, trudging towards the greenery and twinkling lights of the market's entrance. 

The first thing Basira did was buy a pretzel about twice the size of Martin's head. Martin purchased his usual glühwein, while Tim stubbornly refused any of the delicious foods on sale. 

"They've got those melty cheese things, though, Tim! Like you see on facebook!" Basira protested, gesturing to one of the temporary market stalls, decorated to look like a small Tudor style building. 

"Not hungry." Tim glowered, wiping some of the misty rain from his forehead. Basira just shrugged and continued to enjoy her pretzel. 

Inside the ornament shop Martin was examining hundreds of glass ornaments shaped like everything from snowmen to, for some reason, sushi rolls, when Basira tapped him on the shoulder. 

"Check this out, should I get it for Daisy?" Basira, eyes mischievous, held up a large glass ornament in the shape of a gray wolf howling at the moon.

"Isn't that... would she..." Martin searched for a tasteful way to ask if perhaps bringing up Daisy's traumatic connection to the Hunt entity wouldn't be the best way to celebrate Christmas, but Basira was already cackling and putting it in her shopping cart. Martin shrugged. Other people's relationships were, as ever, a mystery. He glanced over at Tim, who was standing in front of a mini tree decorated with a variety of clown and circus themed ornaments.

"Erm... Tim? You all right?" Martin asked. Tim carefully took a ringmaster ornament from the tree display, running his fingers over the painted red jacket bedecked in gold painted buttons. 

"Whoops." Tim said. He looked Martin directly in the eye and intentionally dropped the ornament. It only cracked a little bit, so Tim crushed it with his foot.

"TIM." Martin scolded in a whisper. "You'll have to pay for that." 

"Don't know what you're talking about, mate." Tim put his hands in his pockets and stepped out of the crowded shop, leaving other shoppers crunching the glass debris in his wake.

Martin sighed. He offered to pay for the broken ornament at the register, but the teenager working looked panicked at the mechanics of doing such a thing and eventually told him he could just go, it would be fine.

The three of them stood outside the pop-up "North Pole", complete with a costumed Father Christmas sitting on a candy cane striped throne, glancing at the long line of children waiting to sit on his lap and make their demands. Last year Tim had kept jokingly threatening Martin that he was going to go in there and sit on Santa's lap himself. It had been a completely silly joke, no threat that Tim would actually do it, but Martin had played along with protests and it had been a bit of a laugh. This year Tim felt like a completely different person.

"Shall I go in?" Martin said. "Maybe they need another elf." 

"That's right, we can all tell Elias to fuck off and take on our new, seasonal jobs as Father Christmases helpers." Basira said, nodding sagely. 

"Although I guess we'd just be trading one all-knowing, all-seeing boss for another." Martin suggested. "A lateral move." 

"Are you done yet?" Tim asked. "I'm fucking freezing." 

"I need one more thing." Martin answered. Tim shot him a look, which he pointedly refused to meet.

"What?" Basira asked.

"Just a, a gift." Martin stuttered.

"For Jon?" Basira asked again, just a hint of a teasing lilt in her voice.

"He's not an easy man to buy for!" Martin whined.

"Oh bloody hell, I can't stay for this." Tim shook his head and began to walk towards the exit.

"Come off it, Tim!" Basira called after him. 

"Let him go." Martin sighed, watching his friend retreat, a dark figure in the midst of warm, cheerful families. 

~*~

Jon didn't come in to the office every day, now, preferring to do much of his "field research" out on his own. But from time to time he did need to catch up on a few statements, and he found it best to listen to them in his office. He needed to learn as much as he could about the Unknowing if he was to stop it in time. He could deal with the waves of resentment emanating off of each and every one of his coworkers later. 

Well. Maybe not _every_ coworker.

"Jon?" A familiar, polite, knock on the door made Jon look up. 

"Come in, Martin." Jon said, tone more gentle than it would have been a year ago. He didn't let himself think about why. 

Martin quietly stepped into the office, holding a small, decorated box. 

"What's that?" Jon asked, squinting. 

"Oh! um, it's uh, a Christmas present."

Jon shook his head. "Is it Christmas?" having been raised by a practicing Hindu grandmother, Christian holidays tended to sneak up on Jon.

"Close enough. Happy Christmas." Martin set the little box in front of Jon, as he did every year. This year, though, for some reason, Jon felt himself blush.

"You didn't... you _really_ didn't have to do this, Martin."

"I know." Martin said. "That's sort of the point."

Jon unwrapped a small metal trinket in the shape of some sort of symbol he didn't recognize. It was a hand holding some kind of branch. The box, lined with the sort of quaint straw packaging that usually means it came from a small artisan shop, held a little handwritten card that smelled of incense.

"Ward Against the Evil Eye." The label read. "Carry with you to protect yourself against the malevolent curse." 

Jon sighed and looked up at Martin.

"Bit late for that, don't you think?" 

"I couldn't resist." Martin said, giving a little smile. 

Jon picked up the talisman.

"See, it doesn't work anyway, it should burn my hand or something when I touch it if it's any good."

"Oh don't say that!" Martin scolded. "If it would burn anybody it should be Elias." 

"That's... generous." Jon laughed, grimly. "Thank you. I don't have anything to give you..."

"You don't have to!" Martin shrugged. "Anyway. Take care of yourself, Jon."

"Happy Holidays."

"Thanks!" Martin stepped out of the office. Once both of them were out of the other's sight they let out slow, shaky exhales. It wasn't going to be a happy Christmas, Martin knew. But at least he'd made an effort.


End file.
